Darren Gray

AT FIRST, they will only see green. Lush green, dense vegetation on both sides of the road — predominantly tea tree, but also banksia and acacia.

This is what Wilsons Promontory visitors will see when they drive past the entry gate and into the much-loved national park, open today for the first time in seven weeks.

At first they might wonder where the fire was. They might ask themselves what damage the bushfire actually did to the Prom, because during the first six kilometres of this well-travelled road, visitors will see no sign of the fire that burnt half of the park.

But the first views from this road to Tidal River are deceiving. A little more than six kilometres in and signs of the 25,200-hectare blaze emerge. Brown and reddish tones are visible in the treetops on the distant granite ranges, but then the road winds around and they disappear.

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At the 7.5-kilometre mark the road straightens and a clear view of the ranges emerges. Visitors are suddenly in the fire zone.

There are no rich red and brown hues here, the predominant colour at eye level is the charred black remains of once-green tea trees. While underfoot, the once-yellow sand has become grey thanks to a powdery carpet of ash.

About 30 metres from the road, on top of a sand dune exposed by fire, Parks Victoria ranger Ryan Duffy sums up the scenery this way: "It's almost like a blackened moonscape that you see, after the fire has burnt through the tea tree."

Black and grey this scene might be, but there are still plenty of animals out this sunny morning. A whip bird makes a few whip cracks and crimson rosellas chatter. Mr Duffy urges visitors to drive slowly to Tidal River with their windows open.

The dune is one of many to have been disrobed by fire, but it has happened elsewhere with more spectacular results. In the swamp behind Five Mile Beach, long, ancient sand dunes that are home to thousands of surviving grass trees have been exposed for the first time in decades. Stunning rock faces and boulders have also been uncovered.

Grass trees seem more beautiful in the fire's aftermath, perhaps because in some places they're one of the few green things in the midst of so much black.

The thin, long blades sprouting from the tops of the black trunks have helped them survive. Outer leaves shielded the inner leaves, which have stayed green, allowing the plants to photosynthesise.

Large saw banksias are interspersed with the grass trees. Their thick, gnarly trunks have been blackened, but large woody seed pods can be seen above. Many of the pods are open like gaping mouths, to let seeds drift out.

While the seeds will produce new trees, some of the burnt banksias will survive, too. Mr Duffy says this depends on the fire's intensity: "If enough of their leaves have survived, they will probably survive."

Elsewhere burnt trees have been frozen in time. Like blackened weather vanes the tips of their twisted branches point westward, indicating that the fire here was pushed by an easterly wind.

On the roadside nearby, a large brown stringybark stands like a sentinel. The fire consumed its canopy, but strong signs of regeneration are evident. Dozens of small, green epicormic shoots are emerging from the charred trunk, as the tree tries to regain leaves rapidly so it can photosynthesise.

Over Darby Saddle the landscape changes. The hills on the right near Sparkes Lookout burnt very hot, leaving a large area of trees looking like spindly, blackened sticks. But down the hill ahead the beautiful coastal view over Picnic and Whisky beaches remains undisturbed.

On the left the steep, burnt face of Mt Bishop is a snapshot of the fire's impact on the park. It has burnt in a mosaic pattern. In one large patch of black the fire marched up the slope quickly, its advance stopped by large granite rocks. Further to the right a lot of the canopy remains.

From the top of the Tidal Overlook walk, there are great views of Mt Bishop and other burnt regions such as Titania Creek, and of Norman Bay and Squeaky Beach. If they're quick, walkers could be the first visitors in weeks to leave their footprints on Squeaky Beach.